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Picture PERFECT [Winnipeg Free Press (Canada)](Winnipeg Free Press (Canada) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Get the most out of your gardening photos The evolution of how we capture images in our gardens has had an explosive effect on how we share those images. A beautiful image taken just moments ago can be shared with your friends and family within mere seconds. Sharing, though, is only one part of a gardener's obsession with taking photos. Organizing, storing, editing and uploading as simply as possible is important too. The ultimate goal, however, is to take a photo with maximum visual impact, one that reveals what your eye sees, whether your device is a digital camera, smartphone or tablet. Does a great photo begin with a basic understanding of whatever device you may be using? The easy answer might be yes, except many gardeners would acknowledge they aren't entirely sure of all of their device's capabilities. "A camera is part of your gardening equipment," says Roger Buchanan, photography instructor for the Winnipeg Leisure Guide. "Learning about your camera will help you to present the photo images of your garden in the best way possible. If you don't use your camera appropriately, you won't be satisfied with the results and you won't be able to do as much with the results as you would like." Aside from reading and deciphering a manual, consistently taking photos in a variety of situations will help to hone your skill. Lighting, focus and composition are three of the most important considerations for capturing a great photo. Early morning or evening light works best; however, an overcast sky acts like a giant soft box that allows you to capture rich colour. "The worst thing is direct sunlight," said Buchanan. "It washes everything out, and throws your exposure values off. In direct sun your camera won't capture the range of tones between the dark black of a shadow and the bright white of a daisy petal." Richard Denesiuk is the technical support staff person at Creative Retirement. He is also the editor of The Prairie Garden, an annual publication for northern gardeners that is published in Winnipeg. Denesiuk says the golden quality and low angle of early morning or evening light can be fleeting and while high noon on a sunny day may be the worst time to take a photo, it may also be the only opportunity if you are visiting a garden. Both Denesiuk and Buchanan's tool of choice is a digital camera. Denesiuk suggests finding a shady spot where the light is soft and even or using a white umbrella. "If you are stuck with taking a photo at high noon on a sunny day," said Denesiuk, "setting your flash to be 'forced on' may fill the shadows on medium and close shots." Buchanan suggests making your own artificial shade with an old pillow case which acts as a diffuser by placing it between the sun and the plant you are photographing. Don't use a coloured sheet or the object you are photographing will take on its colour. Or purchase a diffuser from a camera store. A round spring hoop with diffusing material, this accessory collapses into a portable bag and sells for about $50. Pointing your camera downwards from a standing position rarely produces the most imaginative photos. Get down low, find a unique vantage point (deck, ladder), or get in close to your subject. Shooting from a garden path or a curving line that leads the eye into the distance composes a pleasing image, said Denesiuk. A blurry background or foreground is sometimes the ideal. "Try to get to a position where the subject has as much distance between it and the background as possible," said Denesiuk. "Then zoom out your lens, standing tow to three metres back from the subject." Plants don't always stand still the way that people do. On windy days, Buchanan suggests stabilizing a swaying plant by staking it into position with a tomato stake and tying it down. Buchanan has created a camera stabilization and point of view accessory called a SteadyStrap which reduces camera shake by stopping upward movement of the camera. The greater the wind or if a subject is really moving, the more the camera's shutter speed must be increased in order to get a really sharp image. "This is where point-and-shoot cameras are great because the macro capabilities are built right in," explained Buchanan, whereas with a digital SLR (single lens reflex) style of camera, a lens is needed for really effective close up images. If you have a small camera that allows you to have a remote control, a six- or eight-inch tripod called a gorillapod (about $19) allows you to set up the camera in advance in anticipation of a visiting hummingbird or butterfly. Tina Strong, photography instructor for Centre Caboto, says it is important to know the resolution of your images and how to set this feature on your camera. Resolution refers to the number of pixels in an image. "If there are not enough pixels in a picture, then as you are expanding the photo, you lose the definition or details," said Strong. The higher the resolution, the more detail that is captured. "Go into your menu, find the section called compression and resolution, and follow the steps," said Strong who recommends this as the first step that a novice photographer should take. Suppose your camera of choice is a smartphone. Look around the next time you go on a garden tour and count the number of digital cameras being used in comparison to the number of smartphones that are taking pictures. Intimidated by new technology? Whether it is a tablet or a smartphone, put it into the hands of an eleven-year-old and they can have it mastered in no time, thanks to a fearless attitude that delights in discovery. You can do it. Rob Vongxay, Sony Mobile Canada, says that the photo capability of a smartphone today is very much on par with that of a compact digital camera. Sony Xperia Z2, for example, has a megapixel count of 20.7 or 30 per cent larger than the standard smartphone. Equipped with a motion-detection sensor that chooses a high shutter speed to capture blur-free images and can perform optical zooms for superior sharpness, clarity and brightness, Sony Xperia makes the necessary adjustments for you, even in low-light conditions. Drop it in a pond and there is no need to panic. This highly durable android smartphone is both waterproof and dust-resistant. Downloading apps is all part of the experience. Try the background defocus app for creating a blurred foreground or background. Or timeshift burst which allows you to capture 61 frames within two seconds, starting even before you press the shutter. Vongxay says the best thing about a smartphone compared to a digital camera is the ease in sending photos electronically right from your device. No need to download it to your computer first. What if you can't be without a zoom lens? Now there is a first-ever zoom lens called a QX lens that attaches to your smartphone. Retailing at about $450, it transforms your smartphone into a 100-times optical-zoom camera and detaches easily. Teresa Lopata, a West Kildonan gardener, carries both her digital camera and an iPad wherever she goes. Lopata uses her tablet more as a tool for storing and viewing the hundreds of high resolution images she takes which look exceptional on the 9.7-inch screen. A photo editor can be used to enhance your photos and fix flaws. The ideal is to capture as much natural lighting as possible at the time of taking a photo, says Strong, rather than having to use a photo editor afterwards such as Picassa. A free Google product, Picassa allows you to crop, straighten, or fix exposure without affecting colour. "Cropping a photo brings the resolution down so that is why it is important to have a good resolution from the start," said Strong. Cropping a low-resolution image will cause it to look more pixilated. Best to start out by eliminating any distracting objects or debris that you don't want included in the finished photo. Eva Patrician, a St. Vital gardener, has been experimenting with a program called Adobe photoshop elements. The program allows her to easily erase any blemishes. Check out a program called Waterlogue which transforms photos into watercolours. Left to your own devices, what kind of photos will you take this summer? [email protected] (c) 2014 F.P. Canadian Newspapers Limited Partnership |